impassioned
by BubblesToo
Summary: If you could numb the feeling and forget, would you? sasusaku - blank period - oneshot - post chapter 699 - pre chapter 700


Hi, AN please read before you read the story. In this story it will sound like I'm saying Sakura is weak, N O I am not, I'm saying that SHE thinks she's weak, and it's because of her low self-esteem and confidence. I look up to Sakura, I didn't want her to seem like she was mentally weak, but I feel like she has just gone through so much and this prompt just came into my mind. Once again, please review if there are any mistakes, and enjoy!

Also, this is really bad because I wrote this like in one day

Possible some au because it just doesn't make sense?

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_Impassioned: showing, or filled with great emotion_

* * *

It hurt…

Sakura Haruno, head medic of the hospital, best medic-nin of all hidden villages, an apprentice who surpassed her master, the strongest kunoichi in Konoha, and a wielder of the byakugou.

Though her cheery personal would make anyone immediately like her, when she was alone it was a different story.

Honestly, Sakura didn't know how long she had pushed her feelings to the back of her head. The more smiles she gave, the faker they became.

Unbeknownst to everyone, at age 19, the Sakura Haruno who gives the most heart-warming presences and smiles is desperately trying to hold herself together within the confinements of her home.

Tear stained face, bloodshot eyes, and a trembling body. A pink-haired medic leans against the wall of her one-bedroom apartment, trying to drown herself in another night of sake and nightmares.

Studying psychology for the children's mental health clinic, you would think that someone like Sakura would know how to deal with psychological trauma. But if you're dealing with someone as selfless and stubborn as Sakura, it's a different story.

'Compared to what the children, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sai had gone through, what I had experienced was nothing' she would always say.

But it didn't stop her from breaking down into tears of pent up emotions at the end of each day.

Sakura would have nightmares every single night. And they never stopped.

The cold feeling of Sasuke's hand around her throat. The sound of a thousand birds chirping in the distance. His dark, dark emotionless, bloodthirsty eyes bore straight into her emerald ones. The trembling sensation that runs through her body, eyes filled with self-hate. Failing in saving Sasuke from his own darkness.

Then the sound of bone-crushing filling the air, Sakura looks down and sees his arm pierced straight through her chest, at her heart. Blood gushing out in different directions. Her senses dull out, the only sound heard is Sasuke's maniacal laughter.

She wakes up with a trembling form and sweat-soaked clothes.

When Sasuke was put in prison for the few weeks following the great war, a small part of Sakura felt safe, she hated herself that she had felt that way.

He's changed, she knows it, so why did the nightmares still come to haunt her each night?

A scenery she knew too well.

The sky painted with shades of murky brown and grey. Countless bodies litter the floor, lifeless, broken. The ground below soaked in an unwelcomed blood bath.

It pains her to remember the war. The countless lives were taken right before her eyes, on her operating table. The lives she could've saved. But they were just so out of grasp, she couldn't save them.

Sakura Haruno, the apprentice of the legendary Sannin Tsunade, couldn't save everyone in the war.

In her mind, she was not what everyone thought she was. Sakura was not the medical ninja everyone aspires to be, in her eyes.

In her eyes, she's a failure.

A failure who couldn't help everyone in the war, a failure that would imagine the families of the fallen shinobi react to such news about their loved ones.

In her eyes, Sakura Haruno is a failure.

Holding onto what's left of her sanity. She goes outside into the cool streets of Konoha with a bottle of numbing agent she likes to call, sake.

Following in her master's footsteps, she had picked up the habit of drinking excessively. This is the best way to instantly numb her emotions and body.

Earlier that week, one of her colleagues she's been working with for the past two years had died on her table.

Kana was her name; she was one of her closest colleagues and student, Sakura had noted her as somewhat of an apprentice.

She was sent on what should have been a simple medic mission to find herbs that were needed at the hospital. But was ambushed by 10 jounin level rogue nins.

While rummaging through the giant stack of paperwork, Sakura had been called down to the OR to scrub in.

But it had been too late, Kana was nicked and cut with too many poisoned kunai her body couldn't keep up. She had died on Sakura's operating table, under her hands.

Sakura had stormed out of the hospital that day, slamming the door shut to her apartment before breaking down into heartbreaking sobs.

That leaves us to the pink-haired medic right now sitting on one of the branches of a tree, leaning against its trunk. An arm full of sake and a memory-erasing scroll.

The Pinkett had just about enough of her overly emotional self.

It was getting in the way.

Throughout her entire life, she couldn't do anything helpful, she has been weak in an exceeding number of situations.

What if she had just been stronger when Sasuke was going to leave the village, would he still have gone then?

What if she had just been a little stronger and killed Sasuke at the bridge, would the fourth ninja war have happened?

What if she had just trained a little harder, would the amount of shinobi during the war would've died?

What if….

What if…

What if it was all gone, her emotions they've always seemed to get in the way don't they?

Sakura looks down at the scroll in her hands as she takes another swig of her sake. This scroll is a memory scroll. The user can wish to store whatever physiological form into the scroll, albeit memories, emotions. Only the user can uncast the Jutsu.

And if the scroll is burned? The memories are burned along with it.

Looking up into the sky, Sakura sees what seems like thousands of stars lighting up the dark sky. A breeze of wind caressing her pink locks and cheeks. Drying the tear track stained face. Soothing the puffiness of her eyes.

Would it be worth it?

This life of hers she thought, was a waste anyway. All her friends have their own families, their own loved ones, their own problems. She didn't want hers to burden any of them.

In her mind, an emotionless Sakura Haruno would be the best kind of Sakura Haruno.

A blond, cerulean eyed shinobi walks down the deserted streets. A quick flash of pink catches the Kyuubi vessel. Immediately sensing his best friend's chakra, he jumps onto the tree branch his pink-haired teammate's side.

Worry and concern flood those blue eyes as he observes the girl, her tear-stained face, her body seemingly malnourished from no doubt countless hours at the hospital and neglected self-care. A bottle of sake in her right hand, and a scroll in the other.

Instantly recognizing the scroll, he stands and gives her a look.

"no." he bluntly states.

"No what?" Sakura turns and looks into the eyes of her teammate.

"'no' as in you will not use that scroll to take away your memories."

She laughs, it starts as a small innocent giggle before it erupts into a much louder chuckle that leaves Sakura clutching her stomach in pain.

"Sakura-Chan what's wrong? You can talk to me you know -ttebayo" the blonde asks with worry in his eyes.

Her laughter dies down after a while and her face drops back into its usual sombre state.

"you remember Kana?" Sakura asks the blonde gives a quick nod, she continues "She died on my watch earlier this week, a mission gone wrong"

Naruto knows who Kana is, she was one of her closest colleagues and semi apprentice, he knows that Sakura spends more time with Kana than anyone else because Sakura spends more time at the hospital than anywhere else.

"Oh. I'm...I'm sorry for your loss" his voice drops to a low whisper.

They sit together in silence, on the branch, leaning against the tree trunk, basking in the feeling of the wind against their skin during Konoha nights.

"But still, erasing your memories won't help -ttebayo, what do you think everyone else will feel knowing that their Sakura-chan is gone?"

"I'm not erasing my memories you baka. I'm just storing particular ones away in this scroll, I'll still be the same" Sakura replies as she examines the scroll in her hand.

Curious, the blond asks, "what memories will you store away?"

"bad ones," the Pinkett says after a moment.

"which _bad _ones" although Naruto has a hint of what memories Sakura would want to store away, he asks anyways hoping his theory isn't correct.

"the war. Sasuke. Kana." She answers.

Sakura knows what's going to happen next, putting a hand up to silence Naruto into giving her an hour-long lecture to why she shouldn't do this, and why this is a bad idea.

But Naruto decides to start anyways.

"But Sakura-Chan-"

"Every single night, I dream of the lifeless bodies of the shinobi I couldn't save, their blood on my hands, dying, screaming in pain that I am not able to ease."

"no one blames you for that-"

"I call out Kana's name in habit just to realize she's not there anymore." She cuts him off.

"Sakura-Chan…"

"I can feel Sasuke's hand around my throat and his Chidori ripping through my heart"

"but he's changed now- "Naruto interjects.

"I know"

A short silence grows between them. Naruto, not knowing what else to say. And Sakura trying not to break into sobs.

"I can't keep waiting…He's not coming back." a small whimper escaping her mouth.

Naruto can only furrow his brows "the bastard is coming back, if he won't ill drag him back -ttebayo"

Sakura can only lightly scoff and shake her head.

"I'm tired of worrying about Sasuke, Naruto. Waiting for him. Waking up in tears every day from nightmares about the war. My emotions only get in the way of everything."

"That's not true-!" Naruto shoots back.

"don't, please. Just let me do this, don't stop me." Sakura cuts in, "after I cast this Jutsu, most likely I won't remember why I cast it. Please, Naruto, if anyone asks don't tell them the real reason why. I know I'm being selfish by wanting the bad memories gone but I just, the world doesn't need an emotionally broken Sakura Haruno."

Speechless, Naruto doesn't know how to help or stop her. But if this is what Sakura wants then…

"Okay," the blonde says.

Sakura writes something on a small piece of paper and slips it into Naruto's hands.

"open this after I cast the Jutsu," she says as she stands up.

Weaving the necessary signs for the Jutsu, the scroll glows the same colour as her chakra. Memories slowly write themselves onto the scroll and they are sealed shut.

Naruto could only sit by and watch as the previous sad and gloomy Sakura turns into a bright and cheery Sakura, the Sakura that everyone knows.

But he knows that the facade she puts up for everyone isn't who she truly is, he sees how broken she is when her face is turned away from everyone.

"Hey, Naruto!" Sakura exclaims with a cheery smile "what are you doing out here so late? Shouldn't you be home with Hinata?"

"I was just getting fresh air; I'll see you later Sakura-Chan!" Naruto says as he turns to walk away.

"see you!" the Pinkett waves.

Walking back towards the Uzumaki house, Naruto unfolds the piece of paper that Sakura had given to him prior.

_If the scroll is lost, then my memories are gone along with it. I can only undo the Jutsu. Sorry! but if I had told you this you wouldn't have let me cast the Jutsu!_

God! He knew this was a bad idea. How could he-just-ugh! It's too late now. Damn, how was he going to explain this to the bastard…

.

Sakura walks back towards her apartment feeling like a huge weight has been lifted from her shoulders.

Quickly grabbing a bite to eat from whatever leftovers she had in her fridge, she looks down at the scroll in her hands.

For some reason, she has a strong urge to store it somewhere safe.

The Pinkett places the scroll on her bedside drawer, where she also keeps a note, she had wanted to send to the Uchiha but because she now has no memory of Sasuke anymore, she had no idea what the letter was for.

Taking a quick shower, she observes her face in the mirror. Its puffy and tear tracks are evident. Sakura wonders why she had been crying, must've been from laughing. 'Oh right! Naruto had said something funny' she remembers.

Flopping down on her bed she falls asleep almost immediately from the fatigue of what must've been a long day of hospital shifts and paperwork, though, in reality, it was from all the crying. Sakura drifts off into a dreamless night of sleep.

.

An evil chuckle escapes a man's throat as he observes, hiding in the trees.

Her memory scroll goes missing a few days after she casts it, but she is unaware.

.

Sasuke Uchiha had set out on his journey nearly 2 and a half years ago. Helping out as much as he could while also seeing the world in a new light.

Though some still think of him as a ruthless ninja, he was able to prove them all wrong by showing how he was a changed man.

A changed man who is now deserving of an emotion called love.

A changed man who could now accept his love for a pink-haired kunoichi.

He had sent word to Naruto of his return a week ago. After helping with the Kumo ninja's and settling some affairs with the Raikage, he was finally convinced to return home after reading Sakura's message.

It had indeed been a while since he had been in Konoha.

Now slowly making his way towards the big double doors of the hidden leaf village, spotting a blond dobe at the gates waiting with Kakashi the sixth Hokage.

_Scoff_ how did someone who read porn books in public and always came late become the Hokage?

Onyx eyes darting around hoping to find a familiar flash of pink, but it was nowhere to be seen.

"bastard! How could you leave for two and a half years and never send letters! We thought you were dead!" Naruto yells as Sasuke slowly approaches.

"tch, as if" the raven-haired man scoffs.

Kakashi's eyes visibly crinkle showing his amusement at his two students "welcome back"

Sasuke nods in acknowledgement.

"where's…Sakura?" the Uchiha asks.

Which turns out, might have been the wrong thing to say as Naruto starts wiggling his brows suggestively while Kakashi sends amusing looks towards Sasuke.

"Oooh Sasuke-Chan wants to know where Sakura-chan is"

"tch whatever dobe, I'm leaving"

But as Sasuke was about to not-so-secretly head towards Sakura's apartment to see how she was, he was stopped by a strong grip on his arm.

"um, you-you can't go see Sakura-chan. I mean well- it may or may not" the blonde stutters, not knowing how to explain the current situation to his best friend.

Sasuke senses the sudden change of mood surrounding them. Kakashi had put his Icha Icha away, Naruto's lips fall to a thin line.

"what's going on?" the ex-avenger asks, his voice a little concerned, now only thinking the worst as to why they wouldn't let him go see her.

The blond closes his eyes and quickly says "she stored some of her memories away in a scroll and I mean some as in everything relating to you and the war"

"I'll leave you two to talk it out," the silver-haired Hokage says exiting in a poof of smoke, leaving Naruto to Sasuke's wrath.

"She. Did. What?" Sasuke grits out.

Naruto starts to get a little nervous "She thought you were never coming back!" he justifies.

This response only seemed to further upset the Uchiha "so you were there when she cast the jutsu?!"

"I tried to stop her I swear! Wait where are you going- "

The ex-avenger says nothing as he immediately sets foot into the village and searches for her chakra.

Finding her immediately in the hospital behind giant stacks of paperwork. Sasuke knocks a few times on the window alerting her of his presence before slipping into the office.

A little bit of relief sets in when he sees the familiar necklace hanging around her neck, a gift sent from him while he was travelling.

It was emerald green, diamond-shaped necklace; he had sent it to Sakura because it had reminded him of her forest-green eyes. He had sent it to her from one of his hawk summons. The gift came without a note, but knowing her, the Pinkett would've known who it was from anyways.

"Sakura." he greets.

She jumps a bit as he calls her name.

"Hello?" the medic hesitantly replies.

Both standing within the space of her office, they drink in the appearance of each other. Sasuke, observing the changes over the years, her now neatly swept hair, new attire, and the changes to her body. Sakura, trying to remember who the seemingly familiar raven-haired man is standing in front of her.

"Say, you look familiar, what's your name again?" Sakura asks.

It's like her words were a sharp weapon stabbing into his heart. So, what Naruto had said must've been true. But he needed to know how much of him she had erased.

"Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha" he answers.

"hm, you really do look familiar. Oh right! We were on the same genin team, weren't we?"

A small part of him is happy that Sakura had decided not to erase their genin memories entirely.

"What happened on the bench 7 years ago?" Sasuke asks.

"uhh what bench?" she replies, confused.

The Uchiha stays quiet at her response, heart painfully clenching.

"um hey, not that I don't enjoy your presence since you have been at Suna for so long, but do you need any medical help?"

He blinks back surprised.

"What do you know about me?" the raven-haired shinobi questions.

"well, we were placed on the same genin team, and then you had to move to Suna for some reason I think" she replies "um I'm about to get off of my shift, do you want to come over and have some tea, its been a while we could catch up"

Sasuke can only nod numbly at what is now reality between them.

While walking the busy streets of Konoha in the afternoon. It irritated Sasuke to have to glare at countless men eyeing Sakura like a piece of candy.

As they get closer to her apartment, the amount of people lessens and the silence traps Sasuke in his thoughts.

The Sharingan user knows about the memory scroll technique, he also knows the risks that come with it. The scroll is the weakness of the jutsu if it was destroyed the memories would be gone along with it.

Had he really hurt her that much, that she had to resort to removing every memory of him?

"Sasuke?"

This pulls him out of his thoughts, but the suffix less name stings him a little.

"Hn?" he was so deep in thought he wasn't listening to anything she had said.

"I said we're here" Sakura repeats.

"Aa"

They sit and talk – mostly her – for the remainder of the day; the sun slowly sets outside lighting a pinkish hue into the apartment. Sasuke having to come up with a story on the spot about his 'move to Suna'.

"can I stay the night?" he asks. Half lie, he knows he could stay at an inn, but he needed to look for the scroll containing her memories and somehow convince her to undo the jutsu.

"of course!" she smiles "you can take the bed, I'll sleep on the couch since I'm only staying for a few hours anyway, I have an early shift, you must be tired from your trip!"

Sasuke nods "thank you"

Laying down in her bed, feeling engulfed by the smell of her shampoo and a smell that reminds him every bit of Sakura. Reminding him of the time before he left, when Sakura had held him in a tight embrace the night before his departure. He waits until he feels her chakra settle into a steady hum signalling her sleep.

Quietly, Sasuke starts to rummage around the room trying to find the scroll. Heaving a sigh of relief, he finds it in the bedside drawer, along with what seems to be like letters.

He takes out one of the letters, curious at its contents and starts to read. The papers are crumbled, the writing is shaky, and the ink is smudged by what looks like tears.

The series of letters are for him, but they were never sent. They seemed more like diaries than letters to him. Reading them, his heart clenches painfully as he scans through each letter. Shoulders shaking in silent sobs.

In these letters, it's the emotions that were pent up in Sakura pouring out, how she was trying her very best to hold herself together, the nightmares she has, the façade she puts up for everyone. And how she breaks down every single day the moment the silence and loneliness comes.

Sasuke takes a moment to compose himself, self hate rising within him as he thinks about the contents he had just read. Hating that he had left her alone.

Sakura had always been the strongest on the team, her selflessness was indeed annoying, but it is because of that he fell harder in love with her. She was good at faking her emotions, but he could always tell when something was wrong.

Meaning in his absence he couldn't protect her, from herself, from the self-hate.

But not anymore, he vows to protect Sakura, to save her from herself as she does for him.

Taking the scroll out immediately, wanting to open and see just what memories of him Sakura had decided to store inside.

Only to be blank. Sasuke examines the details of the scroll closer.

It's a fake.

Which means some bastard has the scroll and with it, Sakura's memories. This could go wrong in so many ways, the scroll could be destroyed and her memories of him would be gone.

Hell no, Sasuke Uchiha would not just let her forget him.

Sliding open the window quickly and quietly with shinobi skill, he slips out and heads towards the Hokage tower, making sure to stop at the dobe's house and drag him there with him.

With curiously raised eyebrows, the Rokudaime watches Sasuke drag Naruto into his office.

"Teme what the hell! I was sleeping!" the blond yells.

"the scrolls gone" Sasuke states.

A short pause falls between the three as they try to process what the raven-haired man had just said.

"what do you mean the scrolls gone?" Kakashi asks, voice a little on edge.

"_the_ scroll" the Uchiha replies "if It's destroyed the memories are gone along with it"

_Her memories of me will be gone_

Naruto and Kakashi can no doubt understand the reason why Sasuke is so worried about this.

"I will ask for information from intel gatherers to see if any memory scroll is being sold at the black market. They would without a doubt try to sell it and blackmail Konoha since it belongs to Sakura, she's listed top 10 in the bingo books" Kakashi says.

An ungodly amount of rage is seeping through Sasuke 'damn, this annoying girl just had to be so strong and get listed in the bingo books'

"some ANBU had spotted someone leaving her apartment earlier this week, but they only thought that the man had been her…lover" the Rokudaime continues, eyeing his former students' reaction.

Sasuke is trembling in anger at the assumption made by the ANBU "call me if you have any further information" he says and leaves.

He can only hope that it's not too late.

.

Its been almost a week since Sasuke has come back from his journey. Now living at Sakura's place, he had asked to sleep on the couch since it was rude of him to be sleeping on her bed.

And because he can smell her shampoo, wanting to hold her in his arms but can't.

With each passing day, his heart tightens ever more slightly at the difference in Sakura, the way she treats him now, like any old friend. He knows that this would be a reality if the scroll is destroyed.

Sasuke heads towards the training grounds hoping to blow off some steam from everything that has been going on in the past few days.

He completely destroys training ground 6, with trees falling over, the ground destroyed along with rocks still cracking. He falls to the ground in a heap as the events of the past few days wash over him.

Sasuke almost crumbles at the fact that Sakura might never be able to remember him again. That things could possibly never go back to normal.

He can't accept the fact that _she won't remember that she loves him anymore_.

Maybe it's for the best? He has hurt her so much she's better off without those memories of him, not knowing everything that they had gone through, that he had put her through.

But Sasuke's selfish.

Selfish that he wants her to be his only, to be his to old, his to kiss. Selfish that he wants the pain of her memories back so she would remember him.

He's selfish that he wants the old Sakura back, the Sakura that knows every detail about him, the Sakura that had tried to kill him and vice versa.

Yes, there had been painful memories, but hidden in those memories some were good ones.

Hidden within those actions lies an urge to protect her, the undoubtedly amount of care. Yes, putting her in a genjutsu that shows him killing her was a ruthless move, but it was only made so she wouldn't be hurt.

But he left her, didn't he? He left her on a bench crying, he left on his journey for two and a half years thinking that she would just wait for him. It was one thing knowing that you could go back home knowing that someone you love and who loves you will wait for you.

It's another when the person you love stops loving you.

That's why Sasuke desperately needs the old Sakura back, he needs her love, and he needs to tell her that he loves her.

He craves her love, needs it like how he needs air.

A soft thud brings him out of his sulking.

Sasuke lifts his sweat-drenched head up and comes face to face with a familiar face.

"Hello, Sasuke" a boy around his age with light brown hair greets.

"Riku" the Uchiha recognizes.

Said man lightly chuckles "Ah, so you do remember me"

Riku was a chunnin level at best. Orochimaru had asked Sasuke to find a new subject for one of his experiments, and unfortunately, Riku's brother was one of the targets.

"I don't care how much people say you've changed, you're still that scum who kidnapped my brother," he says as he rummages through his pockets and takes out a scroll.

Sasuke stiffens at the object. Its Sakura's memory scroll.

"what? Want this?"

Sasuke can only send a sharp glare towards the man.

"I heard how this girl was once your teammate, it's a pity how someone as strong as Sakura Haruno would have to resort to storing away her memories."

The Sharingan user starts to finger the hilt of his Kusanagi.

"ah ah ah" Riku waves his fingers "if you try to attack me I'll just burn this scroll instantly and your dear teammates stored memories would be gone, though I am confused why you would want it so badly" he taunts as he plays with the scroll.

Trembling with rage, Sasuke tries his best to hold back the urge to lunge at him and kill him on the spot.

"I took a peek inside the scroll; it seems that most of the memories stored are about you" Riku continues "Pity how someone who can shatter the earth's strongest weakness is her love for you, don't you think Sasuke?"

The last bit of rationality inside Sasuke snaps as the last of Riku's words leaves his mouth, as he with speed faster than the shinobi eye can manage, he knocks the man with the hilt of his Kusanagi, reminding himself to later notify Kakashi about the unmoving shinobi at training ground six.

"Sakura loving me is one of her strengths, not weakness" Sasuke spats at the unconscious brown-haired shinobi.

Picking up the forgotten scroll from the ground, he opens it to make sure it really is the real one. Once he reads the scrolls containing the horrid moments between himself and Sakura, he immediately starts dashing towards Sakura's apartment.

Quickly slipping through her apartment window, he sees her making dinner. The past few days he had been staying, Sakura had come home early in the evenings to make dinner for him, then she would resume to her duties at the hospital.

Placing the scroll on the counter with a heavy thud, Sakura turns back and greets him.

"Hey, Sasuke! Tonight, I was thinking of making beef Teri- "

"undo the jutsu" he orders.

"what jutsu?"

"the memory storing jutsu goddamit!" he grits through his teeth.

After a short pause, Sakura speaks up "I don't- "

Sasuke cuts her off by roughly kissing her lips. Grasping the back of her head as his fingers burrow themselves into her pink tresses. His heart is pounding against his chest as he feels her respond with equal passion. Tilting her head, he deepens the kiss, swiftly parting her lips and rubbing his tongue against hers.

They part after a few minutes panting for air. Both dazed at the searing kiss they just shared.

He leans his forehead against hers "I wasn't just your teammate."

"but you moved- "

"you loved me" he cuts her off, brows furrowing.

This shuts Sakura up. He watches as tears start to form, making her emerald eyes shine ever more brightly. 'The jutsu must be weakening' he thinks.

"and I love you, so please Sakura, please undo the jutsu"

Parts of her memory starts to come back, and she remembers exactly why she had decided to cast the jutsu in the first place.

"B-but I, my emotions always got in the way" she reasons "wouldn't it be better to not have an overly emotional Sakura Haruno? Wouldn't you want that?"

Sasuke smiles lightly at her assumption "but you're wrong, an over-emotional Sakura Haruno was just what I needed, so please" he brings his arms around her waist, placing a lingering kiss at her temple "undo the jutsu."

"Okay," she says a little timidly "I trust you, just please don't hurt me again"

"never" he promises while embracing her tightly with his eyes closed, chin placed atop of her head.

The pain of her memories hit Sakura like a tsunami, her sobs get louder and louder as she starts to remember each event.

His grip on her waist tightens as she sobs into his chest.

"S-Sasuke-Kun" she chokes out between her cries.

Smiling at the return of the familiar suffix, he tries to comfort the crying Pinkett in his arms.

"I love you Sakura, and I'm sorry...for everything" he whispers this like a mantra repeatedly.

Contentment settles throughout his body as he finally is able to hold her in his arms. The real Sakura, the one who knew him the best.

"tadaima Sakura" he breathes out

They stand there with Sakura in Sasuke's tight embrace. Letting out a breath he's been holding in since forever, the excessive amount of relief he feels at her next words, the words he had thought would never hear again.

_"I love you too Sasuke-Kun, Okaeri"_

* * *

Um really long endnote just because I'm gushing over the new retsuden novels skfbseg

omfg have yall read the spoilers for the retsuden novels holy shit, Sasuke and Sakura retsuden husband and wife, life or death I'm screaming omg I'm so excited, its going to be released in August I can't wait, and Kakashi retsuden has already been released, but goddamn they're not telling us what naruto's disease is and its pissing me off goddamit. And omg Sarada is staying at Iruka's because the mission between her parents is long term. And I think its sakura's mission but Sasuke said he should come along so he can protect his waifu. And I really hope there would be a baby number 2, Uchiha with green Sharingan ehe maybe, yeah no, but that would be cool, or a boy Uchiha with pink hair, damn, that'd be nice. Also, it's the same author that wrote the lipstick scene yay!


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